Machine for disintegrating or emulsifying materials



MACHINE FOR DISINTEGRATING OVR EMULSIFYING MATERIALS Filed NOV. 30. 1923 Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

omi-ED sTATEs HARRY rovEY, or ls'rAmuoRE, ENGLAND;

MACHINE Fon DISINTEGRATING ca EMULsIrYrNG MATERIALS.

Application led November 30, 1923. Serial No. 677,788.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I HARRY PovEY, a Jsubject of the King of (irreat Britain, residing at Stanmore, inthe county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Disintegrating or Emulsifying Materials, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to machines for disintegrating, emulsifying or admixing ma'- terials. l

In machines of the above type in which the material during treatment is projected centrifugally, it is found in the case of some materials that the high velocity with 'which the material is passed through the machine does not permit of sufiicient time to effect its reduction to the requisite state of division or the necessary ydegree of admixture and as a consequence, the material must be returned to the machine and retreated as often as is necessary until the desired result has l been obtained.

The object of my present invention is to provide an improved machine of the type indicated in which the efficiency is substantialy increased.

y invention consists in the improved' machines for disintegrating, emulsifying or adniixing materials to be hereinafter described. e

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate f my invention and form part of my specification.

The accompanying drawing shows a part sectional elevation of ne form of machine constructed according to my invention.

In carrying my invention into effect according to one form, and as applied to a ma-v chine for disintegrating a solid admixed with a liquid, I construct the base-plate 1 of the machine integrally with the lower portion 2 of the casing which houses the rotatable members 3 and 4, `and alsowith the lower portions of the outer bearings 5 and 6 for the driving shafts of these mem-l bers.

The upper portion 7 of this casing is attached to the lower portion by means of bolts 8.

The driving shaft 9 of the member 4 is rotatably mounted in bushes 10 and 11'onl A driving pulley 14 is keyed on to the shaft 9 and is secured in position by the p nut 15. l p

The bush 11 is threaded at its inner end and provided with a gland 16 and packing `formed on the casing, and in these grooves packing rings 20 of rubber'or other suitable material are disposed for the purpose of effecting a fluid tight joint between the supporting member and the casing.

The inner end of the supporting member 12 is recessed and threaded and is provided with'a gland 21 and packing 22 to form a fluid tight joint between the hub 23 of the member 4 and the suporting member 12.

A duct-24 is formed in the supporting member 12 and registers with the inlet port 25, as shown, when the material being treated is supplied to the machine throudh the pipe 26 on the top of the casing, t e member 12 being adapted to be rotated through an angle of 180 so as to bring the duct 24 into register with the port 27 when the material is supplied through the pipe 28 on the bottom of thecasing. y

The member 4 is keyed to the -shaft 9 and secured in position by the set screw 29.

A number offaxial ducts 30 are formed in the Ahub 23 of the member 4 for leading the material to the space betwen this member and the member 3.

The member 4 is provided on its inner surface with rings of blades 31 which intermesh formed on the inner surface of the member.

External to the bladed portions, the members Band 4 are spaced apart to form a narrow annular duct 33 which leads the material after treatment by the blades to an intermediate annular chamber 34 of circular cross section.

Beyond the chamber 34, the members 3 and 4are formed with intermeshing annular projections 35 and 36 which extend axially as shown, holes 37 being formed on these projections at spaced intervals so as to allow the material to pass therethrough, when the holes register with one another during the rotation of the members.

The projections 35 and 36 form a running with corresponding rings of blades 32v fit with one another and leakage of the material through the clearance space between these parts during the operation of the Inachine is prevented by an annular plate 3R which is attached to the member 3.

The plate 33 forms a trough in the vicinity of the mouth of the clearance space so that the material which leaks therefrom initially, passes into` the trough and under the action of centrifugal force forms a seal which prevents further leakage at this point.

The member 3 is constructed and mounted in a similar manner to the member 4 above described and is driven by means of a pulleyy 39. Circular nuts 40 and 41 are provided on threaded portions of the driving shatt of the member 3 for adjusting the clearance in a known manner between the members 3 and 4.

The material to be treated may-be supplied to the machine either through the pipes 26 and 42 at the top of the casing, or through the pipe 28 at the bottom thereof.

The material after treatment is collected in the chamber 43 and is discharged through the outlet pipe 44.

In the operation of the machine as above described, the driving pulleys are connected to the power shaft in such a manner that the members 3 and 4 rotate in opposite directions.

The material supplied through the pipe 2G passes through the duct 24 into the chamber 45, thence through theaxial chiots 30 in the member 4. On emerging from these ducts, the streams of material impinge against similar' streams emitted from the axial ducts in the member 3, and which entered the casing through the pipe 42.

The path, through the machine, of the material entering by the pipe 42 is exactly similar to that of the material entering by the pipe 26. i

The streams of material after impact are forced centrifugally by the rotation of the members 3 and 4 through the rings of intermeshing blades 31 and 32, and thence to the annular chamber 34 through the duct 33. From this annular chamber the material passes to the chamber 34 through the lholes 37 in the intermeshing projections 35 and 36 and is discharged from the machine through the outlet pipe 44.

lVlien the material is supplied to the machine through the pipe 28, it divides into two streams on entering the casing` one ot the streams passing through the channel 40, and port 27 to the duct 24` which is in the position indicated by the dotted lines, and thence through the member 4 in the manner above described.

The other stream passes through the duet 47 to the member 3 in a similar manner.

The passage of the material through the blades and the annular duct causes the solid particles to be reduced to a finely divided state on discharge into the chamber 34. As the discharge from the chamber takes place intermittently, viz When the holes in the projections 35 and 36 register with one another, the progress of the material through the blades and annular duct is slowed down and a finer state of division of the solid particles is obtained than is the case it the material is discharged directly and continu` ously from the annular duct.

Further as the annular projections 35 and 36 rotate in opposite directions the passage of the material through the holes 3T therein subjects the particles to a shearing action which effects the final reduction in its state of division.

The speed of the rotatable members, the blade clearances the width of the annular duct and the diameter and number of the holes inxthe intermeshing projections may be. varied as required. In one machine constructed as above described the rotatable members were Q inches in overall diameter and they were rotated in opposite directions at 3000 revolutions per minute.

Thenumber of blades in each member Was 100, the axial and radial blade clearance was of an inch the width 0f thc an nular duct was .000 while 32 holes g of an inch in diameter were spaced around the circumference, of the intermeshing projections.

1When the above machine operated on a solid admixed with a liquid no sign of settling out of the solid particles was apparent in the product after several weeks observation. and the treated fluid exhibited Brownian movement under the microscope.

The holes 37 may be of the same diameter in all the project-ions or they may be formed so that they progressively decrease in diameter from the innermost to the outermost projections.

Also the sides of the discs may be corrugated, serrated or otherwise formed to increase the shearing effect.

in a modification of my invention, only one rotatable member is arranged in the casing, the member being formed in a similar manner to those above described. The blades o-n the rotatable member intermesh with corresponding blades formed on the casing While the narrow annular duet and intermediate annular chamber are arranged by correspondingly forming the adjacent surfaces ot the rotatable member' and the casing. The discharge from the annular member is ettected intermittently through holes arranged in a series of annular projections inter-meshing with one another and formed on the rotatable member and the casing.

Again, in some cases the intermediate annular chamber in the arrangements above ldescribed may be dispensed with so that the material passes directly from the annular duct through ho'les in the annular projections.

Machines constructed according to my invention may be used for disintegration of solids, other than milk powder, admixed with a fluid and also for the emulsitication or admixture of fluids. They may also` be adapted for the treatment'of solids in the dr state.

y means of my invention an eficient 'machine is provided in which solids either in the dry state or admixed with a fluid may be efficiently reduced to a state of division approaching the colloidal While the admixture or emulsification ofliquids may be effectedk with facility.

I Wish it to be understood that the. above examples of my invention are simply to be regarded as typical only, and not as in any way restricting my invention thereto, as modifications in detail and arrangement may be made in these examples, Without departing beyond the scope of my invention.

1. In disintegrating, emulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of relatively movable members and means forY leading material to the interior of said members, said members being adapted to intermittently discharge treated material as set forth.

2. In disintegrating, emulsifying or admix'ng machines, the combination of relatively movable members, having intermeshing rings of blades formed internally thereon. and means for leading material to the interior of said members, .said members heilig adapted to intermittentlyy discharge treated material as set forth.

3. In disinteg 1ating, emulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of relatively movable conical members, having intermeshing rings of blades formed internally thereon and an annular chamber external to said blades; and means for leading material to the interior of said members, saidl members being adapted to intermittenti)v discharge treated'material from said chamber as set forth.

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4. In disintcgrating, emulsifying or admixing machines. the combination of relatively movable conical members, having intel-meshing rings of blades formed thereon. an annular duct external to said blades and an annular chamber external to said duct,

and means for leading material to the inan annular duct external to said blades, an annular chamber external to said duct and intermeshing annular projections having spaced co-acting holes external to said chambers; and means for leading material to the interior of said members.

6. In l,disintegrating, emnlsifying or admixing machines, the combination of co-acting hollow members relatively movable to one another and means for leading material to be treated in opposing Streams to the interior of said members, said members being adapted to intermittently discharge treated material as set forth.

k7. In disintegrating, .emulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of co-acting conical members relatively movable to one another, having intermeshing rings of blades formed internally thereon, and means for leading materlal 1n opposing streams to the interlor of said members, said members being adapted to intermittently dischargetreated material as set forth.

8. In disintegrating, emulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of co-acting conical members relatively movable to one another, having .intermeshing rings of blades formed internally thereon and an annular chamber external to said blades, and means for leading material in opposin streams to the interior of said members, sai members being adapted to intermittently discharge treated material from said members, as set forth.

9. In disintegrating, emulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of co-acting conical members relatively movable to one another, having intermeshing rings of blades formed internally thereon, an annular duct external to said blades and an annular chamber external to said duct; and means for leading material in opposing streams to the interior of said members, said members being adapted to intermittently discharge treated material from said chamber as set forth.

10. In disintegrating, emulsifyimg or admixing machines, the combination of a coacting conical members relatively movable to one another having intermeshing rin s of blades, an annular duct external to said blades. an annular chamber external to said duct, and inter-meshing annular projections having spaced co-acting holes, external to said chamber: and means for leading material in opposing streams to the interior of said chamber, as set forth.

11. A disintegrating, emulsifying or admixing machine, having relatively movable members from which the treated material is discharged intermittently as set forth.

l2. In disintegrating, cmulsifying or admixing machines, the combination of relatively movable members and means for leading the material to said members in opposing streams, said members being adapted to means for preventing leakage through the discharge the treated material intermitclearance space of said annular projections; tently as set forth. A Shafts for said members; a casing for said 13. In disintegrating, emulsifying or admembers; a plurality of sets of ducts lead- 15 'miXing machines, the combinationo relaing material to the interior of said annular tively movable members, having intermeshmembers; means for renderinginoperatiye ingrings of blades'form'ed thereon, an annua set of said ducts together with means for lar duct 'external to said blades, an annular rotating said shafts in opposite directions. chamber external to said duct, and inter- In testimonyswhereof I have signed my 20 10 meshing annular projections havin spaced nameto this specification.

co-acting holes external to said ciamber; HARRY POVEY. 

